After pounds and pounds of bean pressure cooking I got it right. Here is your fail-proof guide for Instant Pot Beans. Instant Pot black beans, Instant Pot pinto beans, instant pot kidney beans, and many more, basically an encyclopedia about cooking beans in the instant pot.
After seeing the same question popping up over and over again in several Facebook groups: “how to cook beans in the instant pot”, and after reading answers that couldn’t differ any more, I felt the urge to find out timings for myself. Just like back when I saw the same happening for Instant Pot Rice.
I’ve read people recommending cook times anywhere from 10 minutes all the way up to 60 minutes. How can that be? Why do the recommended times differ SO MUCH?!? I had to get to the bottom of it.
Well, first of all, many times it isn’t even specified what kind of beans. There are soooooo many kinds and they all cook in different times. Asking “how to cook beans in the instant pot” is basically an incomplete question and often results in incomplete answers.
Second of all, it is never specified what the beans are meant for. Depending on if you want them for a salad or a soup makes a huge difference. For a salad you want them barely cooked so they hold their shape, stay dry and don’t become mushy. For a soup you want them super cooked and falling apart by themselves so you can blend them and create a creamy soup.
And lastly,it is rarely specified if the cooking time is requested or suggested for soaked or dry beans. This also plays a huge role in timing.
Which brings us to the first question and answer in our Instant Pot Beans Encyclopedia.
Soaking or No Soaking for Instant Pot Beans
Let me answer one important thing first: yes, you CAN cook both, soaked and unsoaked beans in the pressure cooker. So if you desperately want to skip the soaking process you absolutely CAN.
The question, however, should not be if you CAN cook no soak beans. The question is: do you really want to skip the step?
I never (literally never!) skip soaking. Why? Because it eases digestion A LOT. I, for one, don’t love feeling bloated and passing wind. If you enjoy that, by all means, go ahead and skip the step ;)
If you’re more like me and like eating healthy and yummy food without bloating and farting (high five my friend) then soak your beans for 8-12 hours before pressure cooking.
Generations and generations before us already knew about this trick and I rely a lot on their experience. A pressure cooker doesn’t break down the beans to a point where soaking isn’t necessary anymore to ease digestion. Maybe one day someone will invent a magical machine that can but for now, there isn’t one on the market that I know.
What the instant pot does it cook beans faster to reach the same consistency a regular pot with water does. That’s the advantage of pressure cooking. The soaking is still necessary.
There are other tricks to ease digestion such as adding “epazote” during the cooking process and/or removing the foam that forms on top. The most important and most effective is soaking though. Don’t skip the soaking even if you add epazote and remove the foam.
Sooooo, all experiments run for this post are for beans soaked for 12 hours at room temperature using filtered water. Then drained and rinsed and cooked in just plain, fresh, unsalted water.
Ok, now that we’ve had have that discussion let’s get to the next point.
Instant Pot Black Beans
My fist tests were run with Black Beans and that’s how I found out that the discrepancies of timing are often times likely due to what the beans are meant for.
After cooking for 30 minutes + complete natural pressure release the beans were nice and soft and perfect to use for a soup. They were cooked to the necessary consistency to blend into a smooth black bean soup.
However, they were way too soft to drain and use for a salad. They were much much softer than the black beans you’d find in a can for example.
The canned black beans are pretty firm and after draining ideal for a salad for example.
So the next goal was to find the best pressure cook timing to achieve firm beans for salad AND a consistency somewhere in between for Instant Pot Beans and Rice. Not too firm and not too soft.
After 20 minutes of high pressure cooking and full natural pressure release the Instant Pot Black Beans were thoroghly cooked through but still firm. I was able to drain them and use them in a salad.
After 25 minutes they had that perfect consistency for Instant Pot Beans and Rice.
Instant Pot Pinto Beans
I thought all beans the same size would cook in the same time but no. It seems different beans have a different composition and cook differently.
Pinto Beans cooked faster in my experiment compared to black beans. I was very surprised actually. So much so, that I will have to rerun this experiment. Pinto Beans were the last beans I experimented with and I’m wondering if my Instant Pots (<– yes, plural, I have several because I’m obsessed, haha) were maybe overheating and cooking stuff faster?
Anyway, the Adzuki Beans definitely confirmed the fact that different beans cook at different times regardless of size.
The Instant Pot Pinto Beans were perfect for draining and using in salads after just 15 minutes high pressure and full natural pressure release.
Perfect for rice and beans after 20 minutes high pressure cooking + NPR. And suitable for soups after 25 minutes HP + NPR.
Flavoring Instant Pot Beans (salt while or after cooking)
Depending on what you want your Instant Pot Beans for you may or may not want to flavor them.
If you want your beans for a salad which will have a salad dressing it’s probably best to simply cook them in filtered water and nothing else. Drain the water and use the unflavored beans for your salad.
For Instant Pot Beans and Rice or for soup you’ll probably want to flavor while cooking. There is a couple simple rules to follow. Add onion, garlic, spices (except salt) before or during cooking but salt after cooking. Salt can keep beans from softening up so you want to avoid adding while they are cooking but rather once they’re already soft.
What I love to do is to prepare a “sofrita” first. You hit the sautée button first and while the pot heats you peel and finely chop onion and garlic. Once hot, add a splash of oil, the chopped onion and garlic and sauté until nice and brown. Then add beans and water and cook as instructed in the recipe card below.
And here the printable fool-proof timing guide for Instant Pot Beans:
Instant Pot Beans
Ingredients
- 1-3 cups beans - (black beans, pinto beans, adzuki beans, kidney beans, navy beans, or mung beans)
- water
Instructions
- Add beans to a large bowl and cover with abundant filtered water. At least 4 times as much water as beans. Cover with a clean dish towel. Soak for 8-12 hours on the kitchen counter. (If you soak them longer timings will differ!)
- Drain beans and rinse really really well.
- Add beans to instant pot and cover with fresh water to about 2 inches above the beans (two thumbs thick).
- Put on the lid and turn the knob to the sealing position.
- Press manual (or pressure cook on newer models) set to high pressure and adjust timing follows depending on if you need the beans for salad/rice and beans/soup:Black Beans: 20/25/30 minutes + 20 mins NPRPinto Beans: 15/20/25 + 20 mins NPRNavy Beans: 25/30/35 + 20 mins NPRKidney Beans: 25/30/35 + 20 mins NPRAdzuki Beans: 5/10/15 + 20 mins NPRMung Beans: 0 + 10 min NPR / 0 + 15 min NPR / 1 + 20 mins NPR
- Let pressure release naturally for specified time above, then, if safety pin hasn't dropped on its own yet, release remaining pressure manually.
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Heba says
Sorry if my question is a bit stupid but it’s my first timing using Instant Pot. should I turn the steam release handle on sealed or venting position while cooking the beans? generally, I don’t know when to vent or release? also what do you mean by natural or quick releasing? thanks!
Lorena says
Hi Heba, there is no such thing as stupid questions :) Congrats on your new purchase! SOOOO, to get your Instant Pot to pressure in the first place you HAVE to turn the handle to “sealed” otherwise air keeps coming out and pressure can’t build up. Then you set your cooker to high or low pressure or the amount of time specified in any recipe. If a recipe calls for “quick releasing” or “manual releasing” (that’s the same thign) what it means is you turn that same handle to “venting” once the cooker beeped to tell you cooking time is over. You turn the valve, wait for all the air to come out, wait for the safety pin to drop and then you open the pot. If a recipe calls for “natural pressure release (NPR)” your do NOT turn the handle to venting but rather do nothing at all once the cooker beeps and just wait 20-40 minutes for the safety pin to drop all on it’s own because all the air inside emerged naturally. I hope that makes more sense :)
Christina S says
When you’re pressure cooking, the steam release valve should definitely be sealed so that the steam cannot escape and the pressure builds up. If it’s opened (venting), you’ll never get the pressure.
If you quick release, you turn the valve to “venting” and the steam will shoot out, releasing the built-up pressure in your pot. Natural release just lets the instant pot cool off and the pressure go down on its own (takes a while).
I’d suggest reading your IP manual all the way through, and watching some instructional videos on YouTube so that you’re comfortable with the process! :)
Stephanie says
I just got an Instant pot for Christmas. I specifically asked for it so that I could have a “quick” to cook many hundreds of pounds of black and pinto and navy beans but I just inherited from my dad’s food storage. So I believe I am going to be able to help you well, once and for all, determine if it is the age of the beans that increases or decreases the cooking time. Because these dried beans I inherited are over 10 years old! ( don’t worry they were properly sealed for long-term food storage.) I’m also located at around 4500 feet above sea level, so I will definitely be having to play with the cooking time and I will keep notes and share them with you from one batch to the next. By the way I am giving you a 5-star post rating in advance for two reasons, one because you were so meticulous about your methods for testing times which gives all of us a wonderful point of reference, two to help offset the undeserved 1-star ratings that some people gave you just because they’re beans ended up mushy when any number of things (elevation, age of beans, could instapot size maybe be a factor?) could have been different to cause it.
Lorena says
OMG, Stephanie, thank you so so so much!!! I can’t wait to hear about your results!!! Please e-mail me so we can discuss. This sounds simply amazing. I don’t think instant pot size really matters. I do believe though that some instant pots heat more than others based on experience with people getting the burn warning with certain recipes that require little water. I also believe NPR times play a big role. I have to change that in the description to put a maximum time. I’ve had people report their NPR took over an hour and I believe their safety pin must have simply been stuck. A tiny little shake of the lid after 25-30 minutes should show if it’s stuck or if there is actually still some pressure in their (which I doubt).
Brenda says
Do you can? I add a clove of garlic to each quart. Really yummy and a quick meal.
Lorena says
No, I don’t can but adding a clove of garlic to a can sounds heavenly! If I ever start I’ll make sure to do that :D
Shane McQuillan says
I do not see where stipulate what pressure to use? High, medium or low?
Thanks,
Shane
Lorena says
Hi, I’m sorry this isn’t too clear. HP means High Pressure. All timings are for high pressure. I will add that to the recipe card so it’s clearer. Thanks for the feedback.
Janet D Borden says
Has anyone tried the 15 bean soup dried beans? If so, how long did you cook them?
Patsy says
I made 15 bean and ham soup recipe for instant pot (which turned out amazing). It called for 40 min at HP with 20 min NR. But this contained ham, veggies, etc., as well.
Catherine says
It’s New Years Eve, what about black eyed peas? I plan on soaking but how long should I cook them ?
Lorena says
Sorry Catherine, no clue. I will have to test and add little by little to this post. When I ran all the tests I tested with all the beans my bulk store had in stock.
Patricia says
I don’t know if you got your answer and I have not cooked anything in my instapot. But I soak my beans overnight and cook them in vegetable both. I add a little fresh garlic and salt. Cook on low heat
Sheila says
Sorry for the late response Catherine. But I just wanted to share my most recent experience with cooking black eyed peas. I pre-soaked 1 cup and pressure cooked it for about 8 minutes. It turned out perfectly cooked and held its structure well. I used it for a curry. Black eyed peas are one of the quickest beans to cook so it doesn’t take that much time in the Instant Pot. Hope this helps for future recipes!
Sheila says
Also just wanted to add that I cooked my black eyed peas in an Instant Pot Steamer Insert Pan. It was not cooked in the inner cooking pot which the Instant Pot comes with.
Sheila says
I meant it was cooked in the Instant Pot Steamer Insert Pan and then placed inside the inner cooking pot. But I didn’t cook the black eyed peas directly and only in the inner cooking pot. Sorry for any confusion!
Lorena says
Awesome!!! Thanks for the feedback Sheila!!! Others will benefit from this info!!
Nora says
Perfect timing on the black beans! Added my own twist with jalapeños, carrots, onion & cumin.
Thank you so much 🤗
Lorena says
thank you so much for coming back and letting me know!!! There must definitely be something going on with the age of the beans if some have perfect beans with my beans and others total mush.
Phyllis says
Ok, Lorena, I’m going to give this a try. I’ve got a leftover Christmas hambone and I want to cook it with navy beans in the instant pot. My pot is 6qts. I plan to soak two cups of beans over night and cook them 30 minutes tomorrow with onion. I generally do this on the stove for a few hours and they come out delicious.
so I have high expectations for the instant pot. Do you have any suggestions as to how the broth can be rich?
thanks.
Phyllis
Lorena says
That sounds amazing!!! What do you mean by rich? In flavor? You could sautée some bacon before adding anything to the pot, then add a diced onion to the bacon and bacon fat and once translucent add garlic, and then the hambone, beans and chicken broth. That sounds pretty amazing to me.
Tony says
Add a quarter cup of barley. It will give it some body and a silky broth.
Lorena says
Oh, nice idea!! I will give that a try next time.
Brooke says
I will be trying this with VERY old beans that I grew 3 years ago. Soaking my aged small lima beans right now. Going for 25 minutes tomorrow because they are so old. I appreciate the depth and complexity of your post. Outstanding job!
Lorena says
Thank you so much Brooke!! Please come back and let me know how they turned out. I’m really interested in finding out more about cooking times for beans of different ages.
Anna says
Navy beans, soaked 11 hours. I wanted them for a salad. Feeling your times were long I went with 20 mins, NPR. Complete mush :(. Would work great for blending into a dip.
Lorena says
I’m so sorry they didn’t turn out for you Anna. I’m still so sad some people don’t have success with my times. It seems the freshness of the beans play a big role and I don’t know how to test this because I don’t know how old or young the beans I buy at my stores are.
Michelle says
Soaked Navy beans longer than I meant (got called out and didn’t get back to drain) cooked for 25 min npr for 20 then released the rest… Mushy. Brand new beans. Whole bag. Maybe the over soaking? Maybe to long on the salad timing or npr timing no biggie, it’s all a learning curve… I’ll make a dip… Thanks for the informative post
Lorena says
Hi Michelle, thank you for your feedback. I just went in and added a note to the recipe. I’ve only tested cooking after 8-12 hours of soaking and I’m starting to believe that soaking longer changes the high-pressure cooking time required. I’ve had several comments about beans being mushy after 24-hours soaking. I want to believe it could have been that. I also changed the “full NPR” to 20 minutes NPR just in case so people who have their safety pin stay stuck don’t wait forever and risk mushy beans. I hope people will have better results like this as this is basically how I cook my beans. My safety pin always drops around the 20-minute mark.
Sarah @ Snixy Kitchen says
FYI. I just tried 12 hr soaked brand new navy beans for 25 minutes + MPR (because I was going to cook them longer later to make baked beans anyway) and they’re also complete mush. Not a big problem because I will turn them into a soup later in the week, but just wanted to add to the conversation! Will try again tomorrow!
Lorena says
THANK YOU!!! Brand new as in just harvested and dried? That would explain a lot.
Joan says
Why the snark? Not everyone has trouble digesting cooked-from-dry beans. But if someone doesn’t do it your way they *like* having gas? Just state your preference and leave it at that. No need to mock others because you have an inferior alimentary canal.
Lorena says
It was intended to be funny but of course, you can understand it the way you like. I never in a million years imagined someone could misunderstand this and be offended. I’m happy that you to have a *superior* alimentary canal, I guess.
Sharon says
Oh my God, seriously Joan. Get over yourself. Obviously you have some deep seated issues that you need to take your anger out on a kind woman trying to teach people the best way to cook beans. Pathetic.
bigdatty says
Oh my goodness, is there a frog in the house? -Grandma
Karen anne OConnell says
Thank you so much for all the detailed info, super helpful.
Lola says
Love it. Thank you! I made pinto beans. Soaked and did 20 min. They cooked perfect for side with rice. Not mushy or too firm. Perfect softness. I’m so happy. This will always be my go to recipe. My family started eating healthy and clean eating
Christine says
curious what you’d recommend for using these? My husband bought them and I’d like to use them in my new Instant Pot 8qt? Any tips appreciated.
https://www.amazon.com/Epicurean-Specialty-Heirloom-Bean-Blend/dp/B004LKDJZS
Lorena says
Hi Christine, so the amazon page doesn’t show exactly which beans are in there but I assume this blend would be great to make my Instant Pot Lentil Soup. Make sure to soak overnight, then drain and rinse and then proceed with the recipe.
Deena says
White kidney beans were mush at 30 minutes and NR.
Lorena says
I am very sad to receive a 1-star review when I don’t have any information on white kidney beans in this post. White Kidney Beans (also called Cannellini Beans) cook very fast so yes, 30 minutes is way too much for them unless you want to make them into soup. I would really appreciate it if you changed the star-rating once you tried any of the cooking methods mentioned in the post.
Tracie says
I am about to attempt my first dish in my IP Duo, but I’m slightly confused about your prep and total cook times. It’s say 1min?
Lorena says
Tracie, there is different cook times for different kinds of beans. Please refer to those times. It’s impossible to put a “total cook time” when the guide is for several different beans and times. I just had to fill that out with a number.